OLD Second National Bank of Aurora Sells 455 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

OLD Second National Bank of Aurora cut its position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 29.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,100 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 455 shares during the period. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora’s holdings in American Express were worth $206,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. RB Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 3,783 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $707,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the period. Roundview Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 27,029 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $5,054,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A. increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,421 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 207.1% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 946 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $177,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares during the period. Finally, Donaldson Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the 1st quarter valued at $397,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of American Express stock opened at $217.51 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $219.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $187.79. American Express has a 12 month low of $140.91 and a 12 month high of $231.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $157.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.40, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.63.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The payment services company reported $2.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.64 by ($0.02). American Express had a net margin of 13.84% and a return on equity of 30.99%. The company had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.07 EPS. American Express’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that American Express will post 12.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 5th will be issued a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 4th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.18%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AXP shares. Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $221.00 target price (up from $220.00) on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Stephens upgraded American Express from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $148.00 to $193.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on American Express from $214.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. UBS Group boosted their target price on American Express from $188.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on American Express from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $201.62.

Insider Activity at American Express

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 69,356 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.02, for a total value of $14,774,215.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 122,158 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,022,097.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other American Express news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total transaction of $1,431,455.85. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,522,816.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 69,356 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.02, for a total value of $14,774,215.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 122,158 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,022,097.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 172,047 shares of company stock valued at $36,528,388. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About American Express

American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as integrated payments company in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Canada, the Caribbean, and Internationally. It operates through four segments: U.S. Consumer Services, Commercial Services, International Card Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services.